Printing machine



oct. 4,1927, y 1,644,232

F. BRIDGESl ET Al.

PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4. 1926 2 Sheec'S-Shee l l "E Arm/wey 1644232 Qctf 41-927' F. BRIDGES ETAL PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb.' 4. 192s 2Sheets-sheet 2 Arme/val Patented Oct. 4, 1927.

UNITED. "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK BRIDGES,'OF HARROW, HENRYFIRMAN, OF HARROW WEALD, HAROLD WIL- LIAMTISDALE, OF NORTH WEMBLEY, AND BEN DEAN WARD HOSKINS, OF WEALD- STONE,ENGLAND, LAND.

ASSIGNORS T0 WILLIAM RICHARD CODLING, OF LONDON, ENG- .f PRINTINGMACHINE.

Application filed February 4, 192e, seriai No. 85,980, and in GreatBritain February 5, i925.

This invention relates to printing machines and has for its object toprovidea machine for automatically printing inscriptions oii the cutandaligned edges ofv books or blocks fed to it in continuous succession.

According to the preferred'form ofthe iiivention, the Vbooks or blocksare passed through the machine. in two movements more or less at rightangles to each other, the edge opposite the bound edgesbeingA printedduring one movement and one or botl'iof the other edges being printedlduring the other movement.` In the vpreferred form the machine includestwo runways arranged at right angles, and the book is carried betweenguides through the first. runway underneath a printing rollerduringdwhich movement'it stands on its bound edges. After receiving theimpression, the book, still standingvertically is caught by a rotating`-arm ywhich lays it flat on one cover in line with a second runwaythrough which. it is carried horizontally between two printing rollersrotating about vertical,spindleswhich print .theupper and lower edges.During both printings the edges are suitably pressed together to make afirm'face for receiving 4the `impression. p'

Y The invention is illustrated in the. accompanying drawings in whichFig. 1 is an elevation,

Fig. 2 a plan, and l i Fig. 3 is a view of a detail. y Fig. 4 is abroken view inelevation show- 'ing the spring means for controlling oneof the printing rollers. y

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the spring means lfor controlling thepressure rollers.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same.

Referring now to the drawing, the machine comprises a frame or frames 1,2 arranged more or less L-shaped in plan and having a power shaft 3. Theshaft 3 drives M a shaft 4 carrying a bevel wheel 5 meshing with asecond bevel wheel 6 on a shaft 7 and is adaptedfto be drivenqfrom anysuitable source of power. The shaft 7 conveniently carries a chain wheelSconnected by an endless chain 9 to a second wheel 10 mounted on a shaft11. 4A second pair of wheels 12, 13 connected by a second endless chain14 are mounted on the shafts 7, 11, the chains being' united by spacedpropelling-rods 15 set apart by adistance which is conveniently greaterthan they height of the book cover.

Parallel guides 16, 17 are arranged above the spacing rods to provide aslot or guideway 18 through which the books are passed, the

slot becoming slightlyy narrower in the dii'ecceptacle 21 through theintermediary of ak 'third' roller 22, the rollers and the receptaclebeing carried in a frame carried by one or more hinged arms 23 hinged,about the axis of the shaft 7. The positionof the printing roller 19 isdetermined by oneqor more set screws 24 mounted in 'fixed arms 25secured tothe frame of the machine against vwhichl the hinged Aframeabuts under gravity, and the'printing roller is driven through a trainof gears 26 froma gear wheel mounted on the shaft 7. A second pair ofendless chains 29, 30 carriedy by ysprockets mounted on parallel shafts4, 27 is arranged at the Lend of the runway 1.8 and work in a directionat right angles to the line of the said runway beneath a second runwaycomprising spaced boards 28. p At or about the region at which a bookfed through the slot18 will traverse the line of movement of thesechains, we provide a pusher arm 31 mounted on a continuously rotatingshaft 32 adapted as a book is fed forward after receiving the firstimpression from theroller 19 to lay it down on to the second runway, afixed rod 33 being set up in line with the remote side ofthe slot toprevent the book falling the reverse way.

The endless chains carry pairs of upstanding push-rods 34 spaced fromeach other a ydistance conveniently greaterv than the width of thebook,l and these then carry the book forward between two printingrollers 35, 36 rotating about vertical spindles at yeach side of therunway. Before-reaching the printing rollers, the book passes under oneor more trip levers 37 mounted on a shaft 38 carrying a contactelectrically connected to the driving mechanism in such a Way thatif'the pages of the book are not fiat, the shaft" is rocked so as tobreak the contact so that the machine is stopped. The shaft cairies apaii" of spring-controlled arms 39 carrying Arollers 40 which engage onthe top of the book and press it down so that the edges form a solidface to receive the impression. A spring c encircles the shaft 38, beingterminally connected to one of the arms 39 and to the frame to insureoperating pressure of the rollers 40. At the end of the runway isprovided a. plurality ofendless belts 4l in line therewith running athigh speed so that the book is caught bythe said belts and carried awayfrom the runway quickly before the rods-34 are'rocked below the runwayfor their reverse movement. A rocking arm 42 is also positioned abovethe slot 18 'electrically connected to the driving mechanism so that ifa book is fed into the slot the wrong way up, the movement ofthe machineis stopped owing to the arm being raised by the additional height of thebook so as to break a contact. v

The type face on the printing rollers is carried by a raised portion 43shown separately in Fig. 3 so that the rollers are adapted to permit thepassage atieach side. of the type of boards or other backing which mayhave slightly larger height and depth than the pages on which theimpression is made. Preferably, the type is cut in a i'ub-l ber strip 50vulcanized on a leather band 51 carried round a roller of suitable size.and lirmlysecured thereto by means of plates 52, 53 secured by screwsto the oblique walls of a recess in the face of the roller. By thismeans the printing roller can readily beset up, if necessary with acertainy amount of packing beneath the leather band, so that theoperative length of the type face is equal to the distance between thepropelling rods 15 or push rods 34 as is obviously necessary forrepetition work, the gears being so designed that in these circumstancesthe type face will move with the peripheral. speed equal to the .speedof the rods 15 on chains 9.

Voperation with sufiicient force to present the The left hand framecarrying the vertical inking ioller and ink supply therefor is i'iXed,but the right hand frame44 in Fig. 2 is hingedly mounted about avert-ical pivot 4,5 and is spring-controlled and adjustable similarly tothe horizontal inking roller, so that the machine can be set up on booksof varying size.' A spring E is connected to the right hand frame 44 andpasses beneaththe sections of the table 28 and secured to a pin mounted'on a transverse rail provides the spring control' of the roller 36. Thedrive is transmitted to the right hand roller through an idlegear'wlieel mounted aty the joint of hinged links 46, 47. p A ,A V v`With theconstructioii of horizontal guildes and vertical rods moving thebook over fixed surfaces, the guides engaging the book when vertical andthe rods when flat, the timing of the movement of the book can bedefinitely set to agree with the ro-tation of the rollers so that theimpression will be made at the right place along the edges of the book.Ob-

It will be clear that owing to thepressure effected by the narrowedwalls of the slot 18 on the one hand, and that' effected by the rollers40 on the other hand the cut edges of the book are held tightly to forma solid face to receive the impression, and that the vmeans exerting thepressure is inboth cases adjustableto books of Idifferent thicknesses.VObviously by providing more than one roller for each run two or morecolourscan be printed during ',one passage of a book through themachine.

We claim 1. In a. printing machine, a printing roller,

means to feed a book past said roller with an vedge directed thereto,means to cause 'salda roller to print an impression on said edge duringsaid movement, and means relativelyV to which the book is`-slidable topress the edges ofthe book together during said movement;

' 2. In a printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book through saidrunway, said runway Idirectly engaging the book and supporting the samein an upright position,

means to print an impression on an edge of,y said book during itspassage through said runway, and means to press the leaves of said b ooktogether during said printing ,opei ation.

3. In a printing machine, oppositely placed guides, a printingrollerarranged transversely of sai-d guides, means to'feed: aboekbetween and relative to said guides and'means to print, animpression on an edger offsaid book during its passagev therebetween,vand mea-nswhereby said guidesjpiess the leaves of said booktogetherrluring said printing edges of the leaves as a'k good printingsurface.

v4. In a printing machine, oppositely placed guides, printing rollerarranged transversely of said guides,means to feed a book between landrelative to "said"guides,y means to print 2in-impression on an edge ofsaid book during its Ypassage therebetween, andsaid guides beingadjustable toeXert pressure Von the faces of said book to press theleaves of the book together with 'sufficient force yto cause the edgesto forma good printing surface during said printingoperation.:

5. In a printing machine, oppositely placed vertical guides, asupporting surface therebetween, a printing roller arrangedhoriioiz'ontally above .said-guides, means to slide a book on anedge,overfsadfsurface'between said guides, and means'fto print. animpression on an edge of said book during said movement, and meanswhereby said guides press the leaveskof said, bookl Ivtogether vduringsaid printing operation.

6. In a printing machine, a printing roller having its axis vertical,means to feed a book lying flatwise past said roller to receive aprinting.impression onl the edge of the leaves oflthe book fromsai'droller, and means operating on the upper lsurface of the book asthe latter passes said roller to cause the edges of the leaves to form agood printing surface during the cooperation of the printing roller withsaid leaves.

7. In a printing machine, a printing roller having its axis vertical,means to feed a book lying ilatwise past said roller to receive aprinting impression on theedge of the leaves of the book from saidroller, and spring pressed rollers operating on the upper surface of thebook as the latter passes said printing roller to cause the edges of theleaves to form a good printing surface during the cooperation of theprinting roller with said leaves.

8. In a printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book standing on anedge through said runway, a second runway, means to feed a. bookfiatwise through said second runway, means to print an'impression on anedge of a book during its passage through each runway.

9. In al printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book standing on anedge through said runway, a second runway, means to feed a book flatwisethrough said second runway, means to print an impression on an edge of abook during its passage through each runway, and automatic means totransfer a book delivered at the end of the first runway to the feedingmeans for the second runway.

10. In a. printing machine, a pair of vertical guides, a horizontalprinting roller above said guides, means to feed a book standing on anedge between said guides, means to print an impression on an edge ofsaid book during said passage, book-feeding means at the delivery end ofsaid guides, means to lay over on one of its faces a book reaching thedelivery end of said guides, and to engage it with said book-feedingmeans positioned there, and means to print an impression on another edgeof said book during its conveyance by said book-feeding means. v

11. In a printing machine, means for feeding a plurality of bookstherethrough in succession, a printing roller adapted to print animpression on an edge of a book during said feeding movement, means toadjust the setting of said roller to accommodate books of differentsizes, andifguiding means for the vbook-and relative-to 'whiclithe bookis m'ovable l lduring f the printing: operation, said guiding .means-acting tol compress, the leaves .of the book to causeltheir edges to.form an effective printingsurface.4 4

.12. In` a -pri-nting..ma.chine, a runway, -nzieans'to feed'vaplurailitylof'books flatwise vthroughsaid runway yin succession, avert-i- `cally arrangedlprintingy roller at aside of said!runway,asecond: oppositely placed lvertically arrangedprintingroller at theother side :of said runway-g meanstfo 'cause said printing rollers toprint impressions on opposite edges of a book during its conveyance bysaid feeding means between said rollers, and means to press the leavesof said book together during said printing operation.

n 13. In a printing machine, a runway comprising vertical guidesarranged at each side of a fiat supporting surface, book feeding meanscomprising spaced members moved over the top of said surface, ahorizontally arranged printing roller arranged above said guides, meansto adjust the height of said roller above said surface, said guidesbeing adapted toengage both faces of a book passed therebetween, asecond runway arranged at an angle to said first runway and having aslotted supporting surface, means to lay flatwise on said second runwaya book delivered vertically from said first runway, oppositely arrangedprinting rollers at each side of said second runway, means to conveysaid book between said rollers comprising a plurality of upstandingmembers moved simultaneously through said slots, and meansto adjust thedistance between said rollers to allow the passage of a booktherebetween.

14. In a printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book therethrough,means to print an impression on an edge of the leaves of said bookduring its passage therethrough, means to exert a pressure on the bookto maintain the leaves thereof in position to receive a printingimpression, a second runway, means to feed a book therethrough,automatic means transferring a book from the end of the first runway tothe feeding means of the second runway, means to print an impression onanother edge of the leaves of the book during its passage through saidsecond runway, and means in the second runway for exerting pressure uponthe book during the printing operation to hold the leaves of the book inposition to provide a good printing surface.

15. In a printing machine, a runway, a second runway, means to feed aplurality of books in succession through the first runway, automaticmeans to deliver a book from the end of the rst runway tothe secondrunway, means to print an edge of the lUU lll)

leaves of a book during its passage through the first runway, and meansto hold the leaves of the book in compact relation to afford a goodprinting surface during the printing operation in the first runway meansto print another edge of the leaves of the book at right angles to thefirst edge during its passage through the second run- Way, and means tohold the leaves of the book in compact relation to afford a goodprinting surface during the printing operation in the second runway.

16. In a `printing machine, book feeding means oon'iprising a pair ofendless flexible members carrying book propelling means,

and book withdrawing means comprising endless flexible members moving ata higher ate of speed than said first-mentioned mem- GIS.

In testimony whereof We afiX our signa- 20 tures;

FRANK BRIDGES. HENRY FIRMAN. BEN DEAN WARD HOSKINS. HAROLD WILLIAMTISDALE.

